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Item 1 - Draft Minutes from March 24, 2021 Planning Commission Meeting 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT MEETING DATE: 04/14/2021 ITEM NO: 1 DRAFT MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MARCH 24, 2021 The Planning Commission of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. This meeting was conducted utilizing teleconferencing and electronic means consistent with State of California Executive Order N-29-20 dated March 17, 2020, regarding the COVID19 pandemic and was conducted via Zoom. All planning commissioners and staff participated from remote locations and all voting was conducted via roll call vote. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Kathryn Janoff, Vice Chair Kendra Burch, Commissioner Jeffrey Barnett, Commissioner Melanie Hanssen, Commissioner Jeffrey Suzuki, and Commissioner Emily Thomas Absent: Commissioner Reza Tavana VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION) 1. Approval of Minutes – March 10, 2021 MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Hanssen to approve adoption of the Consent Calendar. Seconded by Vice Chair Burch. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC HEARINGS 2. 140 Arroyo Grande Way Architecture and Site Application S-20-013 APN 424-23-048 Property Owner/Applicant: Yogesh Jhamb Project Planner: Sean Mullin PAGE 2 OF 4 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 24, 2021 Requesting approval for demolition of an existing single-family residence and construction of a new single-family residence on property zoned R-1:8. Sean Mullin, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Yogesh Jhamb (Owner/Applicant): - The project is driven by the need for more space for family. Their home fits in well with the neighborhood because there are homes across the street that are around 16 feet tall. They have no windows with views into the living and yard spaces of the adjacent homes because there are no aligned windows. The floor level of the proposed home is the same as the current home. Side windows are only used when street and back yard facing windows are not possible. Their fence is 7-feet on one side and 6-feet on the other and they are willing to share the expense to increase the fence height. Their photos show that the proposed home would not block sunlight to their neighbors. The front extension of the home would not block the street view of the adjacent home. Charlene Land, 124 Arroyo Grande Way: - They live to the north of the subject site. They support neighborhood improvements and have remodeled their own house, but the size and scale of the proposed project pushes every setback and the story poles indicate the house would loom over the neighborhood. They would like the roof to be lowered because it impacts their south -facing windows. The home's height would reduce the amount of sky they would see out of their windows. They also have privacy concerns due to the window size. Ian Land, 124 Arroyo Grande Way: - The houses in the immediate area are the same height. Their sky view would be eliminated by the proposed home, leaving only tiny slivers. The typical roof in the neighborhood is hip and gable. They are asking for windows to be no higher than their fence height. They have top-down window blinds that they would use and are willing to work with the applicants on the fence height. Anna Hellmer: - They live kitty-corner to the subject site. This project is too large and complex as proposed. The applicants did no outreach to neighbors other than their two adjacent neighbors. This huge mass and structure would eliminate the sunlight in their yard, the viewscapes they have enjoyed for 25 years, and would be a huge house in the middle of a block of one-story homes, mostly Craftsman bungalows. There may not be a second story to the proposed home, but it looks like it is two stories. They would like to see the scale of the home reduced. PAGE 3 OF 4 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 24, 2021 Mark Hellmer: - He is concerned regarding privacy with the height of the windows looking over the fences. The applicant has offered to raise the fence height, but anything over 6 feet would exceed the Los Gatos fence height requirement. The proposed house would block most of the view from their back yard and blocks out the tree line they see. Romia (phonetic): - They are the neighbors behind the subject site and they have not been consulted at all regarding the project. They are concerned about privacy because they would be greatly affected if the house were built. They are also concerned about such large construction so close by because she has asthma. Joe Feng, 144 Arroyo Grande Way: - They live next door to the subject site. The Los Gatos residential design guidelines state that windows should be placed to minimize views into the living and yard space of adjacent properties. The proposed windows are too large, too high, and look over the fence. Yogesh Jhamb (Owner/Applicant): - They did not reach out to all the nearby households because of COVID, but they can work with anyone. The two homes in back of their property are on ground that is raised by 2 feet, so the fence is not 6 feet, it is 8 feet, but they can share the cost to raise it. The sunlight to 124 Arroyo Grande Way is blocked by two huge trees in their back yard, not their roof. The neighbors are concerned that the proposed home would not fit into the neighborhood, but they believe the neighborhood will eventually transition into larger homes like the one they are trying to build. They have been mindful of window size and placement because their floor level stays the same. Closed Public Comment. Commissioners discussed the matter. Opened Public Comment. Commissioners asked a question of the applicant regarding continuing the item. Closed Public Comment. Commissioners discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Hanssen to continue the public hearing for 140 Arroyo Grande Way to a date certain of May 12, 2021, with direction. Seconded by Vice Chair Burch. PAGE 4 OF 4 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 24, 2021 VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development • None. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS/COMMISSION MATTERS General Plan Update Advisory Committee Commissioner Hanssen - GPAC met on March 18, 2021: o Completed review of the Community Design Element. o Set timeline to finish review of the General Plan update before it is sent to the Planning Commission and Town Council. o GPAC will meet April 1, 2021 to review the Racial, Social, and Environmental Justice Element. The public is encouraged to attend and provide feedback. Historic Preservation Committee Vice Chair Burch - HPC met on March 24, 2021; considered three items: o 44 Bayview Avenue o 17631 Bruce Avenue o 445 Los Gatos Boulevard ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:21 p.m. This is to certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the March 24, 2021 meeting as approved by the Planning Commission. _____________________________ /s/ Vicki Blandin